Exploring memory, the improvisational way

PUNE: Memories lost and found, childhood, adolescence and youth revisited, and a range of reactions evoked. The Blue Mug', a Hindi-English play directed by Atul Kumar, presents all these and more through a stellar cast of actors.
It's instances from their own lives that Konkana Sen Sharma, Rajat Kapoor, Vinay Pathak, Ranvir Shorey, Sheeba Chadha and Munish Bhardwaj act out.The play, being staged in Pune on March 20 and 21 at Nehru Memorial hall, from 7.30 pm onwards, is not bound by a conventional script and woven together in a novel format.
Inspired from The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales', a book by neurologist Oliver Sacks, the play has lent a new dimension to Indian theatre. "It's about exploring memory and doesn't draw any conclusions whatsoever. Since there is no traditional script here, therein lies the improvisational technique for the actors. They play is bound by a common thread, but every performance is a new risk we take, because we don't know what reaction it will elicit. But so far, the journey of The Blue Mug' has been positive," Kumar, who is presenting the play through his drama group, The Company Theatre, said.
For over 15 years now, Kumar has been doing plays that are not bound by a traditional script. "I'm not very comfortable working in the conventional format anymore. I prefer doing plays that require extempore effort and that are more impromptu," he said.
"The play is comical, but has deeper meanings," said Shorey, who essays the role of a patient. Sen Sharma, who plays Shorey's doctor, will be showing her theatrical prowess yet again.
"Seemingly mundane observations made by the actors in the play have deeper philosophical connotations," said Kapoor, who is equally comfortable working in this non-traditional format.
The play, which was first performed in 2002, was revived in 2009 with a new cast. This year, it is touring Pune, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Delhi and Banglore with 14 shows. "The play is certainly not intellectual. It's a gentle provocation to our thoughts," said Sheeba.
Being themselves on stage required much honesty. "And sharing our own life experiences with the audience through this play has certainly been a humbling experience for me," Pathak pointed out.
Today, there's a cross section of society that wants to such plays, Kumar said. "And I have too many plays that have followed the traditional route. That's why it's more fulfilling for me now doing plays that follow an unconventional format," he added.